A new DTH platform is making its debut in the Bulgarian market by teaming up with satellite operator SES Astra. Satellite BG will use three transponders at SES Astra’s 23.5E orbital slot to broadcast more than 70 channels, including HD channels, to TV…
A new DTH platform is making its debut in the Bulgarian market by teaming up with satellite operator SES Astra. Satellite BG will use three transponders at SES Astra’s 23.5E orbital slot to broadcast more than 70 channels, including HD channels, to TV homes across Bulgaria from February 1, 2011.
Bulgaria, which has about 7.5 million inhabitants, is already home to three satellite TV operators: Bulsatcom (on Hellas Sat 2), TotalTV (on Eutelsat W2), and Vivacom TV. By comparison, the UK has 60 million inhabitants and only a couple of satellite broadcasters.
However, with Bulgaria being in the process of switching from analogue TV to digital TV, SES Astra expects huge demand for satellite services. Martin Ornass-Kubacki, vice president and chief regional officer of Astra Central Europe, said in a statement to SatelliteFinance: “The potential of Bulgarian DTH market is great given the rapid growth in the number of satellite households. According to ASTRA Satellite Monitor figures (done in Bulgaria by Gfk), at the end of 2009 in Bulgaria there were nearly 700,000 satellite homes, which is an increase of 85% compared to 2008.
“We think that the penetration of satellite will be continue to grow, particularly during the forthcoming digitalisation process.
Satellite BG platform, with its attractive offerings, seems to be ideal prepared and shaped for Bulgarian market.” SES Astra’s 23.5E orbital position is already used by CS Link and Skylink in Czech Republic and Slovakia. According to the company, other customers on 23.5E include Canal Digital and TV Vlaanderen in the Benelux as well as pan-European operators Viacom, Turner, Discovery and Bloomberg. Astra also offers services from 19.2E.
Norbert Hölzle, chief commercial officer of Astra, said in a statement: “This agreement is our entry into the Bulgarian market. Satellite BG is an important new customer who will help us to open up the Bulgarian market for our products and services. This agreement demonstrates that Astra’s 23.5 degrees East orbital position is one of the most attractive hot spots for the whole region, enabling us to further extend our reach and develop our offer.” Stefan Bonev, chief operating officer of Satellite BG, added: “Satellite BG is a new Direct-to-Home operator with the aim of establishing itself as market leader in HD and 3D television in Bulgaria. We have chosen to work with SES Astra due to its technical experience and the fast development and optimal coverage of its 23.5 degrees East orbital position.” According to reports, the Bulgarian assets of TotalTV, which is controlled by private equity firm Mid Europa Partners (MEP), could well be merged with Satellite BG. However, SatelliteFinance sources suggest that Satellite BG is too much of a greenfield project at present to make such an aggressive expansion play.
In recent months, a myriad of DTH platforms have been launched in Central and Eastern Europe. For instance, European mobile operator T-Mobile is currently pushing ahead with the development of two new satellite TV operators in Croatia and the Czech Republic, in order to become a main quadruple play provider in the region.
Despite a huge demand, greater competition should ultimately impact prices to an unsustainable level. Yet, mergers between operators are still rare.
